Friendship Bracelets
by jtptan
Summary: In their sixth year, Harry and Draco are causing trouble with their problems with each other, especially after what happened at the end of fifth year. Professors Snape and McGonagall come up with a special solution to the problem.


Disclaimer: I don't own the characters or Hogwarts or any other pieces of setting... they belong to J K Rowling.  
  
Summary: In their sixth year, Harry and Draco are causing trouble with their problems with each other, especially after what happened at the end of fifth year. Professors Snape and McGonagall come up with a special solution to the problem.  
  
Friendship Bracelets  
  
Chapter One  
  
There's one thing about snowball fights that always seems to evade one's head when one participates in them: invariably everybody involved ends up soaking wet. Which was not good, because it meant Harry Potter was a little less than presentable when he dashed back into Hogwarts castle. As it was, if his bushy-haired best friend hadn't remembered the time, he would have been late as well.  
  
In the past three months since Harry had returned to Hogwarts for his sixth year, relations between him and Draco Malfoy (if you could call it that) had become even more hostile, and far less subtle than their previous five years at Hogwarts. It had escalated to several all-out duels in the hallways, no few of them muggle fist fighting. The last, which had gotten the both of them suspended from their respective Quidditch teams, after they had been the instigators of a high-flying duel in the middle of the anticipated Griffindor-Slytherin match. Harry had been to several 'talks' with Professors Dumbledore and McGonagall, and today there was to be a meeting of him, McGonagall, Draco, and Snape, to try and "work things out". Fat chance.  
  
When Harry reached McGonagall's office a couple minutes later, he ended up about five minutes late. The door was closed, so he knocked, but didn't reach the second before the door opened on its own.  
  
The first thing he noticed was that Professor McGonagall's lips were in a thin line, which he knew to be a bad sign. The second was that the only available seat was between Malfoy and Snape. Goody. He sat himself down, a little nervous that nobody had said anything, and self-conscious that he was dripping wet and quite dishevelled while Malfoy looked perfect as usual. Prick. "Sorry I'm late," he said, looking at nobody in particular.  
  
"Oh no problem Potter, the rest of us have nothing to do all day but wait on your convenience," said Snape. "I hope you don't mind if we continue now that you have decided to join us." His voice dripped with sarcasm, and as Harry was determinately looking away, he missed a small smirk on Snape's face. It might have tipped Harry off to the seriousness of the meeting, and the fact that if Snape was smiling; something very, very bad was coming.  
  
"Professor Snape and I have been discussing you and Malfoy's behaviour since the start of term. We are aware that the two of you do not see eye to eye-"  
  
"That's an understatement," muttered Harry.  
  
"Excuse me, Potter?"  
  
"Nothing Professor Snape."  
  
"As I was saying," continued McGonagall, "we are aware of the troubles between you two boys. However, this does not excuse your behaviour. Thus far, your punishments have been becoming progressively more severe, to no effect. So know this: both of you are on the verge of being expelled from this school. One more outburst like yesterday's will find the both of you on the train home, and I assure you neither of you will receive special treatment, 'Boy Who Lived', and 'Son of a former Board Member' or not." She gave them both a patented McGonagall 'you-should-be- setting-an-example-and-I'm-very-disappointed-in-you' look that Harry had been receiving a lot of this year. Harry didn't miss that; McGonagall had a way of talking that makes you look at her, even when you really didn't want to. "Have I made myself clear?"  
  
"Yes Professor" said the two boys in unison, both turning to the other as they said it, and giving the other the exact same 'this is all your fault' glare followed by a 'what do you mean my fault' raise of the eyebrows. If your name wasn't Harry Potter or Draco Malfoy, and the situation wasn't so dire, it would have been quite funny.  
  
"If you'd be so kind," said Snape to McGonagall, "I'll continue from here, Professor." Professor McGonagall nodded for him to go ahead. "After much deliberation, Professor McGonagall and I, after consulting with Dumbledore, have decided not to punish you as such." This sounded quite good to Harry, but Snape looked like a cat with cream. This was definitely not a good thing. He was sweating now, in this pause Snape had taken, that he was so good at, and made seem last forever. Which was why, when Snape put two muggle friendship bracelets on McGonagall's desk Harry was relieved.  
  
But Harry Potter should not have been relieved. He was about to be tried. He was about to be more frustrated than he had ever been in his life. He was about to test the very lengths he could go to. Harry Potter was about to spend meaningful time bonding with Draco Malfoy. 


End file.
